Assistant Director of Affinity Giving Programs

Assistant Director of Affinity Giving Programs

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the city of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the "Trojan Family," which comprises the faculty, students, and staff that make the university a prime place to learn, grow, and succeed.

University Advancement is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in which all advancement staff and our stakeholders connect, belong, and grow while supporting/demonstrating the University of Southern California’s mission, goals and Unifying Values (Integrity; Excellence; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Well-being; Open Communication; and Accountability).

University Advancement’s Office of Annual Giving seeks an Assistant Director of Affinity Giving Programs. The Assistant Director will serve as a lead liaison for assigned affinity-based and class-based fundraising efforts, and has project management responsibility for contributing segmentation strategies to the comprehensive annual giving fundraising program. While coordination with the multiple internal staff, volunteers and vendors is involved, the major focus of all these combined fundraising efforts is to raise private annual support and increase donor participation at the University of Southern California. The Assistant Director will play an active role as a leader of the annual giving team, participating fully and providing expertise on annual fund strategies and the implementation of those strategies.

The ideal candidate is an excellent consensus builder who can work collaboratively with diverse constituencies, both internal and external to the University, and has a demonstrated understanding of the fundamentals of annual fundraising, direct mail marketing and volunteer engagement, preferably in the context of higher education.

This is a hybrid position under our current work arrangement plan, with the expectation of on-site presence in our downtown Los Angeles office (USC Tower) and main campus (University Park Campus).

Responsibilities

• Contribute to overall strategic planning for annual giving programs as it relates to the Parents Fund, Senior Gift and young alumni giving, reunion giving, specialized alumni and multicultural initiatives, and Trojan Athletic Fund.

• Oversee and coordinate the transfer of parent data and student data from the Registrar’s office to Advancement systems, and donor data transfers from/to vendor systems and the Advancement system.

• Under the guidance of the Executive Director of University Annual Giving, use predictive analytics tools or data-driven analysis to develop fundraising strategies, segmentation plans, ask amounts and document the justification for them.

• Oversee the senior gift advisory board nomination process and appoint 10-15 volunteers to serve annually; provide guidance and direction to the board in meetings and through communications; Organize the senior gift ballot voting process and prepare result announcements.

• Attend and participate in Reunion events and fundraising committee meetings.

• Provide regular statistical and financial reports on status of programs being supervised.

• In coordination with the Advancement Marketing team and the University Communications team, ensure all collateral and promotional items are aligned to fundraising marketing and graphic identity policies and requirements.

• Develop strategic university partnerships and vendor partners that support annual giving programs to enhance the department’s ability to meet annual giving goals by leveraging competitions, challenges, etc.

• Develop and enhance reports required to track and analyze activity including appeal results; donor movement through giving levels; donor retention; and fundraising projections.

• Under the direction of the Director, s/he produces reports and materials necessary for volunteer meetings and events (reunion committees, senior gift board and committees, etc.)

• Develop and maintain materials and samples for distribution and use by department and university staff.

• Provide administrative maintenance support for the giving site and providing training to development colleagues on giving button launches, setting up personalized URLs, etc.

• Perform other duties, as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.

• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.

• A minimum of five years relevant professional experience.

• An ability to strategically build a program, to implement, to drive towards numerical goals and to produce outstanding results.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to listen carefully and respectfully and to speak with diplomacy and tact.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.

• Ability to learn and design communications using social media applications.

• Experience in effectively communicating with information technology resources to achieve mutual goals.

• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously with a highly organized approach and attention to detail.

• Flexibility and creativity.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel & PowerPoint.

• Working knowledge of e-mail analytic applications, Customer Relationship Management software, business intelligence tools.

• Working knowledge of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media applications.

• Working knowledge of design applications and software.

• Strong project management, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, as well as a passion for excellent customer service, commitment to exceptional quality, and the ability to balance multiple complex projects in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of production and filming processes for email and video creative development.

• Demonstrated analytical skills. Experience in collecting and analyzing marketing data and making programmatic decisions based on information.

• Intermediate or advanced Excel skills, including but not limited to VLOOKUP, pivot tables, formulas, and charts.

Required Documents and Additional Information

Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.

The budgeted salary range for this position is $76,000 – $92,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC has excellent benefits, including health benefits for staff & their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans with employer contributions once you meet Program's eligibility; tuition benefits for staff & their family; free professional development online courses; central Los Angeles location with easy access to commuter trains, buses & free tram pick up services; discounts to football, basketball & other campus events.

The University of Southern California values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 5 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Directly related professional experience in area of program specialization.